What is the FODMAP diet?

tytania
Sat, 04 Jan 2014 16:07:16 +0000
resources and nutrition

I recently acquired a client who asked me to work with him on a new diet called FODMAPS. The Monash University in Australia have come up with a unique approach for people with IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They ask their patients to follow a low FODMAP diet as a way to reduce any symptoms. They have named it FODMAP to describe a variety of short-chain carbohydrates found in a lot of common foods. FODMAPs stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides, and Polyols. My client caught a very bad pesticide whilst in China, which first heavily irritated his gut, and then was given huge amounts of antibiotics which further destroyed his delicate balance of internal bacteria.

The FODMAP diet basically says that consuming foods high in FODMAPs results in high levels of gas and liquids in the small and large intestine. This creates extreme abdominal pain and bloating. It also says that eating foods with various FODMAP qualities all at once will add up, and will result in symptoms that you wouldn’t have if you ate the food in isolation. With my client, for instance, we noticed that two servings of starch in one day created a problem but served as one portion, he was fine. Also, everybody is obviously uniquely different so some of the foods that are allowed on the diet are not tolerated either. It is not a perfect system but so far from my experience, it is healing, and it is helping.

Below is a list of the foods you can and can not eat. I have found that by also adding into the diet daily intakes of kefir and Sheeps Milk yoghurt, which has thousands of probiotic good bacteria, is very beneficial. Also, any fermented foods, such as Saurkraut and Preserved Vegetables, make a big difference. Fermented teas, such as Kombucha, is also not a bad idea, as this only adds more probiotics to your system to get it back into balance.

Common High FODMAP Foods

Fruits:

Apples

Apricots

Cherries

Mango

Pears

Nectarines

Peaches

Pears

Plums and prunes

Watermelon

High concentration of fructose from canned fruit, dried fruit or fruit juice

Grains (to be avoided)

Rye

Wheat

Lactose-Containing Foods

Custard

Ice cream

Margarine

Milk (cow, goat, sheep)

Soft cheese, including cottage cheese and ricotta

Legumes

Baked beans

Chickpeas

Lentils

Kidney beans

Sweeteners

Fructose

High fructose corn syrup

Isomalt

Maltitol

Mannitol

Sorbitol

Xylitol

Vegetables

Artichokes

Asparagus

Avocado

Beets

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Garlic (with large consumption)

Fennel

Leeks

Mushrooms

Okra

Onions

Peas

Radiccio lettuce

Scallions (white parts)

Shallots

Sugar snap peas

Snow peas

Common Low FODMAP Foods

Fruits

Banana

Blueberry

Grapefruit

Grapes

Honeydew melon

Kiwi

Lemon

Lime

Mandarine oranges

Orange

Raspberry

Strawberry

Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners that do not end in -ol

Glucose

Maple syrup

Sugar (sucrose)

Lactose Alternatives

Butter

Hard cheese, brie and camembert

Lactose-free products, such as lactose-free ice cream and yogurt

Gelato

Rice milk

Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt

Sorbet

Vegetables

Bell peppers

Bok choy

Carrots

Celery

Corn

Eggplant

Green beans

Lettuce

Parsnip

Scallions (green parts only)

Sweet potato

Tomato

Grains

Oats

Gluten-free products

Quinoa

Spelt products

Rice